How Does it Do it?

While Helicobacter pylori is
catalase, oxidase, and urease positive, it is the urease that is
key in allowing it to colonize inside of your acidic stomach! The enzyme urease breaks the urea in your stomach into ammonia
(NH4+)
and carbon dioxide (CO2). The production of ammonia
is how this bacterium neutralizes the acidity of the stomach acid
in its internal and surrounding environment.

Once H. pylori is ingested, it
enters the stomach lumen, or cavity. To get to the mucous
layer where it colonizes, H. pylori is equipped with
4-6 flagella, making it a really good swimmer! Because it
is a good swimmer, Helicobacter pylori can resist the
muscular contractions of the stomach that push its contents
further down the digestive tract.Each of
these flagella end with a distinct bulb (boxed in red in the
above
picture), though it is not clear
why. After arriving at the mucous layer, the bacterium
then bores in to this layer utilizing its flagella and helical
shape to create screw-like movements. This is quite an
amazing feat, as the mucous layer is usually relatively
impermeable because its job is to protect the
epithelial cells beneath it and it.

Helicobacter
pylori does not actually invade the epithelial cells of the
stomach, but it can cause it to become inflamed by producing a
toxin called vacuolating cytotoxin A. This toxin can
invade the cell in a vacuole, which is a membrane bound cavity within
the cell, causing severe gastritis and ulcers (O'Conor et al.
2003).

At some point in the
bacterium's life
cycle, some of the organisms change shape from a spiral bacilli to a
coccoid form. The reasoning behind this is also unclear to
whether it is an attempt to adapt to a stressful situation, a
dormant stage, or a signal of death of the cell (American Water
Works Association 2006).

To find out how
Helicobacter pylori obtains its nutrients,
click here.